Nancy and I ventured into the wilds of downtown Washington for dinner, and what a dinner it was. As part of my extended birthday celebration, Nancy took me for dinner to La Bise. It had been recommended by Lisa and Frank McAuliffe, and you can take their recommendations to the bank. La Bise is in downtown Washington, just across Lafayette Park from the White House … Continue reading La Bise, Washington, DC
“If you vote for Pedro, all your wildest dreams will come true.” Napoleon Dynamite. The same may be said of Buc-ee’s. I had passed a Buc-ee’s on my way to a great dinner at Rusty’s, and made it a point to stop there on the way to my motel. Buc-ee’s completely redefines the very idea of a gas station. They do so by taking all … Continue reading Buc-ee’s, Leeds, Alabama: You will not Believe this Place
I recently drove down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to teach an Honors College class for my good friend, Bob McCurley. I do that every year. Usually, I take my time driving down, stop and see family, and Nancy and I join Bob and Babs at an Alabama game. This year, I was a bit antsy about drinking, dining, and just being at close quarters with an … Continue reading Rusty’s Bar-B-Q, Leeds, Alabama
Nancy and I have found one of the great seafood dishes around, the best I’ve had in a long, long time. Really. It is beyond delicious, and well worth the drive … and the wait. Continuing our exploration of St. Mary’s County waterside restaurants, we drove down to Ridge for lunch at Courtney’s. I like the building. I find it very evocative of an earlier … Continue reading Courtney’s Seafood Restaurant, Ridge, Maryland
I’ve mentioned Robert Moss and his weekly barbecue newsletter, The ‘Cue Sheet, many times. I especially enjoyed the current issue (June 14). It features a lovely profile of Little Bridges Cabannis, the woman behind Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge, one of the great barbecue places. She married “Red” Bridges and they started the first Bridges barbecue in 1946, and she was the driving force behind the … Continue reading The ‘Cue Sheet, Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge, and John Shelton Reed
Good news! Great barbecue is now available inside DC! Unless you’ve been hiding under a pile of post oak for the last year or two, you’ve heard about 2fifty Texas in Riverdale Park, Maryland. It’s the best barbecue place in the Washington area by a good margin. I’ve written about 2fifty several times, from my first visit to their Sunday pop-up in a disused pizza … Continue reading 2fifty Texas Comes to Union Market
Ramey’s is a treasure. It really should be a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site to celebrate barbecue — in this case whole hog barbecue. I’d been there once before during my Great Memphis Region Barbecue Sandwich Tour. (See posts for August-September, 2019; and here for Ramey’s.) Ramey’s is only 113 miles from Nashville, traveling as we did via the Loveless Cafe and Motel, and I would … Continue reading Ramey’s Whole Hog BBQ, Parsons, Tennessee
Great news for barbecue lovers who live in Tennessee or who, like me, plan to go there. Ramey’s is back selling the best whole hog barbecue in Tennessee. Indeed, I’ll go further and say Ramey’s has the best whole hog barbecue outside of Eastern North Carolina. As my most devoted readers will recall, Ramey’s doesn’t cook barbecue from November into March. The cold weather requires … Continue reading Ramey’s Bar B Que, Parsons, Tennessee: The Pig is Back on the Pit!
UPDATE: Here’s yet another reason I love Waffle House They stepped up the day after a tornado hit Futondale, Alabama. The local Waffle House set up a kitchen outside their restaurant and started feeding rescue workers and “an entire neighborhood.” See this. Good people. That sort of response is in Waffle House’s DNA. It’s a shame more of us don’t have more of that DNA. … Continue reading Why I’m a Fan of Waffle House
Something has changed at the Rumba Cafe. Nancy and I always eat at the Rumba Cafe when we go to Marco Island. (Search “rumba” for [previous reviews.) It’s on the way from the airport — the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers — to Marco Island, and it’s usually our first meal in Florida. It has the best Cuban food in southwestern Florida — … Continue reading Rumba Cafe, Naples, Florida
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